Friday, 5 April 2013

Ringing Hawfinch

Numbers of Hawfinch in N Wales fluctuated year on year, last year there were barely any, the year before there were 20+ mainly at Llanbedr-y-Cennin or Caerhun, but they must be elsewhere too. This year up to 17 have been seen at the former, a popular spot especially for year-listers in January but the birds linger well into April before dispersing. They are ringed at a couple of other spots in Wales with a surprising turnover of birds before any retraps so there's undoubtedly more than you think. There's been a couple of recent 'controls' of Norwegian birds-see link below.With kind permission of a landowner we've had a few attempts in LYC and caught 4 birds along with a host of other bits and bobs. The Hawfinches staying nearby with or without a net up. Here's a few recent pictures:

Full adults have square tipped tail feathers- pic to follow. See that gloss in the wing again. Those eagle-eyed might spot traces of blood on the fingers- an occupational hazard for ringers putting fingers too close to a bill as shown below. They're big! When cherry and yew stones are usually on the palette, a finger doesn't really stand a chance!

See the difference in the tail feathers to the female above. Much squarer ended on these two males caught at the same time.

Much about?

This multi-contributor blog is a reel of North Wales bird news, ID discussion, and any other trip reports and useful information added by birders regularly out in the field. Please contact me at: robinsandham (at) hotmail.co.uk if you want to contribute or report any notable sightings.